


Courting Help

by Stumbling-While-Balancing (Rellanka)



Series: Keith's Birthday Fic Celebration [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Courting Help, Fluff, Keith Is An Oblivious Bean, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 06:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16423769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Stumbling-While-Balancing
Summary: James needs Keith's help snagging the man of his dreams. Keith... is confused.





	Courting Help

James’ eyes flashed as he met Keith’s gaze determinedly. 

Keith, himself, was a little pole struck. He certainly hadn’t been expecting this when James had asked to meet him privately; a discussion about the Lions, or the MFEs or even, maybe, their complicated past. Not a confession. Especially not a confession like the one James had just made. 

“You’re… in love with a beautiful, selfless man that’s had a rough past and is hard to get close to? And you want my help getting him to like you?” He asked unsurely, wanting to make sure that he had actually heard what he thought he had heard and wasn’t just having some strange auditory hallucination.

James’ cheeks flushed, but he still didn’t look away from Keith’s eyes. “That’s what I said. Are you going to help me, or not?”

Keith looked at him silently, still deeply confused. 

“Why me?” He finally managed. 

James closed his eyes with what looked like a barely bitten off curse, running his hand agitatedly through his hair, then tilting his head back and opening his eyes to address the ceiling, “You’re the closest person I can get when it comes to someone like him, Kogane. If I have any chance at all, it’s going to be by figuring out what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to approaching someone like him. Look, if you’re not willing to help, just tell me. I’m not trying to force you into anything here. Just. I need the help.”

Keith was stuck, though, on what James had just implied about him. “You think I’m selfless? No, wait, you think I’m _beautiful_?”

James turned his gaze back to him at this, and his eyes were unreadable as they regarded him. Strangely, his gaze made Keith flustered. It almost felt warm, felt… adoring. 

Still regarding Keith with that strange, arresting look, James said in a softer voice, “Literally anyone who spends any amount of time with you is able to see how far you would go to protect the people you care about, Keith. You would give your all for them, again and again, and never ask for anything in return. You don’t even expect appreciation, not at all, and that’s why it surprises you so much when you get it. Hell, you’d protect anyone who needed it, really, probably because you know what it’s like to be the scared, vulnerable one in need of protection, and you don’t want anyone else to ever have to go through what you did. Hate to break it to you, Kogane, but your icy exterior is pretty broken lately and your goodness? The soft, marshmallow core that cares deeply for his friends and the world around him? It’s showing.” James took a step toward him, seeming determined to convince Keith of his own worth, “You may have been a brat as a kid, but that’s because you were a _hurt_ brat of a kid. They only reason you lashed out and pushed people away was because you were scared of being hurt even more. I knew you then, and I know you now, and the only thing I can keep thinking is that I wish I had been the hand reaching out to give one of the best people I know help when he needed it the most.”

Keith was frozen. He couldn’t reply, couldn’t even _begin_ to reply to any of that. He never realized that James payed attention to him, let alone **that** much attention. Or that James thought so well of him. It was… incredibly humbling. And made some part of him feel warm inside, and touched.

James finally turned that strangely arresting gaze away from him to look off to the side, his own cheeks starting to turn red as he shrugged with forced nonchalance, “If you helping me figure out how to court the person I love means I get to learn a little more about you, that’s a win in itself, in my books. As for you being beautiful, well…”

Here James turned to Keith with a teasing grin, unreadable look exchanged for amusement, “I mean if Rizavi hounding you for a shirtless photo to include in the world savior’s calendar she’s putting together doesn’t convince you that you’re a good-looking guy, I don’t know how to help there.”

Keith sent him an unamused look at the reminder of that damn calendar, but was glad for the change in tone. He knew that James was intentionally giving him an out from responding to his speech, and since Keith didn’t **have** a response, he was going to take it. 

“If you promise to never mention that calendar again, I’ll help you.” He finally said, half of his mind still swirling with everything James had said and knowing he wasn’t going to be able to forget it for a long, long time.

James grinned back at him, his eyes bright and smile wide as he replied, “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

***

It takes weeks for James to admit that Keith was the one he was wanting to court all along.

By that time, Keith has already fallen.


End file.
